Magnesium is everywhere in wellness conversations. Scroll through social media or fitness forums, and it’s often portrayed as the “golden nugget” of supplements, essential for sleep, stress, energy, and exercise recovery. For many, tingling legs or post-workout fatigue are immediately linked to magnesium deficiency, with the quick fix being: take more magnesium.
The reality is more nuanced. Magnesium is important, but in the Nordics, and across most of Europe, dietary intake already meets requirements for the vast majority of healthy adults. Supplementation has its place, but its role is often overstated.
Dietary intake is already sufficient in the Nordics
Average magnesium intake in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden ranges between 260 and 440 mg per day, which is at or above the Adequate Intake of 300 mg for women and 350 mg for men.
Magnesium is not a rare nutrient. It is found in the foods that make up the backbone of a Nordic diet. A cup of brewed coffee provides around 7 mg, a glass of fortified milk delivers roughly 24 mg, and a slice of wholegrain rye bread adds about 32 mg. A handful of almonds contributes close to 80 mg, while a cup of cooked spinach can provide as much as 160 mg. When these everyday foods are combined across meals, they more than cover daily needs. Clinical magnesium deficiency is very rare in healthy adults and usually occurs only in connection with illness, medication use, or impaired absorption. This reflects a broader truth: for most vitamins and minerals, a balanced diet already provides sufficient levels, and deficiencies are uncommon in healthy European adults.
EFSA’s unique safety threshold
Magnesium is unusual among nutrients because a tolerable upper intake level of 250 mg per day has been defined specifically for magnesium from supplements and fortified foods. Above this, gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhoea and cramping are well documented. No such risk exists for magnesium naturally present in foods. Unlike some nutrients where higher doses can be tolerated, magnesium’s narrow safety margin highlights that more is not necessarily better.
Muscle cramps and tingling ≠ magnesium deficiency
The belief that cramps or tingling after exercise automatically mean magnesium deficiency is misleading. Such symptoms are more often linked to nerve compression, circulation, or other nutrient deficiencies such as vitamin B12, folate, or iron. Severe magnesium deficiency can cause neuromuscular issues, but such cases are extremely rare in populations with balanced diets.
What active people actually need
During exercise, the electrolytes most heavily lost in sweat are sodium and chloride, with smaller amounts of potassium and calcium. Magnesium losses are minimal. This is why established sports nutrition guidelines focus on proper hydration, sodium and potassium replacement, and carbohydrate replenishment for energy balance. These are the true performance and recovery drivers, not high-dose magnesium.
The takeaway
Magnesium is essential, but in the Nordics adequate intake is already the norm. Deficiency in healthy adults is rare, and the safety limit makes clear that excess supplementation can do more harm than good. This applies not just to magnesium but to most vitamins and minerals: balanced diets cover needs, and supplementation should be balanced and targeted, not hype-driven.
References
[1] Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR2023). Magnesium. Food & Nutrition Research, 67, 2023.
[2] EFSA (2015). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA Journal, 13(7):4186.
[3] EFSA (2006). Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for Vitamins and Minerals.
[4] EFSA (2017). Scientific Opinion on nutrient requirements and dietary intakes of infants and young children in the European Union. EFSA Journal, 15(5):e04782.
[5] Gröber U, Schmidt J, Kisters K. (2015). Magnesium in prevention and therapy. Nutrients, 7(9), 8199–8226.
[6] Stabler SP. (2013). Vitamin B12 deficiency. NEJM, 368, 149–160.
[7] O’Leary F, Samman S. (2010). Vitamin B12 in health and disease. Nutrients, 2(3), 299–316.
[8] Baker LB, et al. (2016). Variability in sweat electrolyte concentrations in athletes. J Sci Med Sport, 19(9):707–711.
[9] Sawka MN, et al. (2007). ACSM position stand: Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 39(2):377–390.
[10] Thomas DT, et al. (2016). Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, DC & ACSM: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. J Acad Nutr Diet, 116(3):501–528.
[11] USDA FoodData Central. Magnesium content in common foods.
📌 Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It summarises current scientific opinions, clinical observations, and authorised conditions of use for nutrients as defined by regulatory bodies. It does not make medical or therapeutic claims and should not be interpreted as medical advice. This content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual needs and responses may vary. For personalised guidance on supplement use or health concerns, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
